Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Applying for Medicaid Buy In for Working People with Disabilities

Applying for Medicaid Buy In for Working People
with Disabilities

By Ted Walner, Peer Advocate, Brooklyn Peer
Advocacy Center

It is very helpful to note that these days a
person with disabilities can apply for Medicaid, even if they are
working. In fact, an individual can earn in gross wages up to $59,892
per year and still get Medicaid. This could be one’s income or a
combination of benefits and gross wages. Let me walk you through the
steps one needs to take in order to benefit from the Medicaid Buy-In
for Working People with Disabilities (MBI-WPD). Please note that all
documents obtained have to be within thirty days of submission. It is
therefore important to act quickly and complete all your paperwork on
time.

First, one must complete the general Medicaid
application. The applicant must list their name and address,
household information, income, other health insurance he or she may
have, housing expenses and whether the person is disabled. For each
piece of information listed, you must provide back-up documentation.

There are other forms that have to be completed
as well. Your doctor must complete the medical report for your
disability determination. One should sign and date the general
Medicaid form after receiving the medical report. In this way, acting
in a timely fashion, everything will be dated within the thirty days
allowed.

There is also a disability questionnaire the
client must complete. In this questionnaire you supply information
about your medical condition, medical records, and information about
your employment.

Finally, the applicant must complete Supplement
‘A.’ These forms request financial information about the client,
including tax-returns and bank information. They also ask about other
assets, such as retirement accounts, stocks, bonds, or other life
insurance policies that you may have. Everything here also must be
documented. It is interesting to note that an individual can have up
to $20,000 in assets for this program. This is much more than the
$2,000 limit for people on SSI and Medicaid.

Applying for MBI-WPD is a lengthy process that
does pay off in the end. If you do receive Medicaid, you receive a
very good form of insurance. In New York one can receive dental,
psychiatric and medical coverage with Medicaid. To obtain the forms,
you can access them online by going to the Department
of Health link, https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/.
You can also call the Coalition Center for Rehabilitation and
Recovery at (212)
742-1600.

Get the best insurance possible for your
disability, make your life easier after all. If you're working and
disabled, Medicaid could now be a viable alternative to get adequate
coverage for your medical needs.